I would be surprised if you did not fully enjoy the Venus II 12th plus Gaia. I'm very happy with the fullness, depth, excellent detail and outstanding timbre my Venus II 12th/Hermes deliver. And this after having gone through a good number of well-regarded DACs beforehand. I am thoroughly...

Actually, I did add a Denafrips Hermes DDC and am happy with its performance. I did not get it thinking it would produce a significant increase in sound quality, but mainly to be able to use the HDMI/I2S output to my Venus 2 12th. Putting the Hermes in the chain with a decent quality...

I did not use the terms "timbre" or "tone" in my entry, but you are 100% right--the Venus II 12th has top-notch timbre and a certain depth to music that is wonderful! I think the Venus II is underrated, for sure!

I purchased a Venus II 12th about five months ago and am very happy with its performance. I have been through several other external DACs and I have found the Venus to bring just the right mix of detail, richness and depth compared to all the other DACs I have owned over the past three years...

That's pretty much what I figured...that the Master Edition upgrades mainly affect the analog output part of the equation. Even though I have an external DAC that is perfect my system, I do not know what the future may hold as I head into retirement. Having an optimized internal DAC in the...

Do you think the upgraded clock and op amps will make a significant difference in the digital streaming SQ vs the original edition? I am considering the Master edition as well, but already stream to very high quality clocks (Denafrips Hermes DDC and Venus II DAC). Do the upgraded op amp chips...

I have owned both the Yggdrasil OG and the Spring 3 KTE. I purchased the Yggy OG new and quickly installed it and began the burn in. Sounded a bit congested at first, but started clearing up after it got some hours under its belt. I was fairly impressed with it. It had a robust and energetic...

Mine was shipped almost exactly 4 weeks after I ordered it and I received it at about the 5-week point last November (South Carolina). So, Kitsune was well within their shipping estimate. Great DAC--you'll love it!

Khashmi, "Gateway drug"...I love it! I had a steady progression up the addiction ladder, most notably the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, Topping D90SE, Pontus II, and I am now using my Anthem STR Preamp's internal DAC, which is no slouch, BTW. My thought processes leading to this purchase were similar to...

Well said, fair enough.

Congrats on your purchase! I wish I would have lucked out like that! I ordered my Spring 3 KTE almost three weeks ago and still have another 2 - 3 weeks (plus shipping) to wait. I wonder how Tim at Kitsune is prioritizing order fulfillment...

Thanks for the confirmation. "More open, airy, detailed, tighter focused" is exactly what I am looking for. A few online reviewers characterized the difference between the Pontus II and the Venus II similarly. But others did not. Very difficult to make a decision when there are conflicting...

Thanks for the added information! My system tends slightly warm, so I do not want a DAC that accentuates that. The ladder DACs tend to have a bit warmer/smoother sound that I like, but not if it takes detail away. I had a Pontus II which I really liked, but felt it was not detailed enough in...

I am currently having a terrible time deciding between purchasing the Denafrips Venus II with Iris and the Holo Spring 3 KTE. You have them tied in your hierarchy. Which one do you believe delivers the most clear and concise highs? Which one is more detailed, especially in the upper registers?